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| Refugee leader Gandhi jumps on to the Modi's bandwagon | | Inside Story | | Rustam
JAMMU, Apr 4: The Congress candidates seeking election to the Lok Sabha had been trying their best to win over refugees from West Pakistan so that their electoral chances were brightened. The Congress wanted leaders of this social group, particularly Labha Ram Gandhi, who has considerable influence over the refugees from West Pakistan, to support its candidates like in the past, but with no result. On the contrary, Gandhi filed his nomination papers for the Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary constituency. This was a setback both for the Congress and the BJP. The refugees from West Pakistan, who do not enjoy citizenship rights in Jammu & Kashmir and have been leading a wretched life since 1947 in various parts of Jammu province, especially Kathua, samba and Jammu districts, are entitled to vote in the Lok sabha election and are barred from exercising franchise during the assembly election and election to the local-self governing institutions, including panchayats. They are extremely angry with the Kashmiri leadership and its supporters in Jammu and parties like the Congress and their grouse against them is that they have all along exploited them and got their votes, but did nothing to empower them, despite the 1987 Supreme Court's directions.
It is still not known if the Congress tried to persuade Gandhi to withdraw his nomination papers in favour of its candidate. But sources within the BJP reveal that the BJP talked to him a number of times and was successful. Sources say that Gandhi and at least three BJP leaders, including the party president and candidate from the Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary constituency, visited the office of the Returning Officer on March 26, the day BJP Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi addressed his maiden "Bharat Vijay Rally" at Hiranagar. Gandhi also reached the office of the Returning Officer. "The BJP leadership had urged Gandhi to make himself available at the office of the returning Officer the same day before 3 p.m. Gandhi turned up, but it was too late. The last date of withdrawal was March 6 and those who wanted to withdraw their candidature could do so latest by 3 p.m., but Gandhi and the BJP leaders couldn't reach the office of Returning Officer not on time. All the four leaders, including three from the BJP, and Labha Ram Gandhi, reached the Returning Officer's office at about 3.20 p.m. The result was that their whole exercise yielded nothing," a senior BJP functionary told this reporter on condition of anonymity.
It now appears that the BJP leadership was in constant touch with Gandhi and was trying to persuade him to retire him in favour of its candidate. The in-charge of Jammu & Kashmir BJP and Member of Rajya Sabha Avinash Rai Khanna, who had earlier made several attempts to rope in Gandhi, finally succeeded on April 3 and the result was that Gandhi retired from the contest and pledged support to the BJP candidate saying he was jumping on to the Narendra Modi's bandwagon because he and member of his social group see a ray of hope in Modi. Addressing media persons along with Khanna and Front Chairman Capt. Yudhvir Singh Chib, Gandhi announced that "his organization has taken a decision to openly support BJP in view of the recent assurance by its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at Hiranagar on 26th March that 'he will solve the long pending problems of refugees' and ensure grant of all the rights to the West Pakistani refugees and POJK refugees which are enjoyed by other citizens of the country". Indeed, the change of heart on the part of Gandhi can be considered a set back for the Congress and boost for its arch-rival BJP. |
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